A Little Less Human
by Midori-Sensei
Summary: Natsuki Kuga is a shapeshifter that can only change into canines. Shizuru Fujino is a hunter of said shapeshifters. Natsuki comes up with a plan to get close to her in order to kill her. But when the time comes, can she? Shiznat. DISCONTINUED.
1. Run, run as fast as you can

As the streetlight switched to red, she put her Ducati motorcycle on its brake and swiftly looked behind her and on all sides, seeing everything in black, grays, and white.

Her breath fogged up against the visor of her helmet as fear and adrenaline clutched her throat. Ignoring the police car behind her, she took off, her motorcycle reaching intense speeds in little time.

She cocked her head towards the side mirror, noticing that the cruiser was hot on her trail. _'She thinks she has me cornered.' _Just as the arrogant thought hit her, she felt a stinging sensation on the back of her neck. _'God damnit, the chip!'_

She stopped at a halt, her recently fixed vehicle skidding on its side as she launched herself off of it, quickly stripping down. A blue dog with long matted fur emerged from her discarded clothing.

It turned back and the driver of the car could have sworn it smirked at her before sprinting into the nearby woods.

The cruiser soon stopped inches from the cycle, assessing the situation. As the driver door opened, one heeled boot stepped out, followed by another. They were muddy brown and made from the finest materials, despite being covered with a thick layer of dirt. Judging by the initials 'S.F' imprinted on each shoe, they were customized specifically for the owner.

Lowering her head to get out of the vehicle, long locks of pale brown hair, almost a honey color in fact, were visible. "Tsk,tsk,tsk." She commented, removing her sunglasses and placing them in the breast pocket of her matching leather vest. A black and purple striped sleeve retrieved her cell phone from the rear pocket of her pants. "You know better than to play those cheap tricks on me, A01."

She put the small hand held device up to her ear as the dial tone rang. In less than a few seconds, her call was answered.

"She left the suit," The woman bent down causally to touch the pavement next to the suit her prey recently sported. "trace amounts of fur, and the cycle." She finished her assessment, toying with a strand of blue fur in between her fingers for a minute before putting it back.

"Send a unit here immediately. Inform them of the body in the back seat." Her eyes flickered to the car. "He's still alive." Balancing the phone between her shoulder and left ear, she looked down at her belt and removed one of the many weapons there. "I'll be back by dawn." Without hanging up, she idly tossed the phone into the nearby concrete.

Red eyes scanned the bullet belt across the top of her body. The upper half contained silver bullets, while the lower half had gold bullets. "Silver or gold?" She asked herself, an amused tone in her voice. "I'm feeling gold today." She answered after a pause.

Selectively placing a handful of bullets into the gun, she closed it with a loud click and turned the safety off. "Ara, you never make this dull, I'll give you that." She smirked, eyeing the wilderness that lay before her.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

_'Gotta get away.' _The simple thought rewinded and played over and over in the dog's mind. A gun fired, driving a hole through a tree ahead of her. _'Damnit! She's gotta be a couple of yards away too…' _At the thought, she heard an accented voice call her test subject number. Her ear twitched in anger. _'Why would you call when you know I'm not gonna answer!'_

She suddenly realized that she had stopped running. By then it was too late. Her body lifted from the ground, being yanked up by her once floppy ear. "A01 should focus more on her current situation than her thoughts." The hunter scolded her prey, a sly grin on her face.

Before she had time to react, A01 had shifted into a wolf, and had her sharp teeth around her wrist. As a reflex to the instant pain, she dropped her to the ground and recoiled her hand against her chest.

Seeing that there was no way to catch her after she ran so far ahead, she made a face of disgust, mumbling "I need to be disinfected."

Retrieving another cell phone from her belt, she dialed the same number as before. "This is Point Five." She muttered in defeat after a response. "Mission failed. Send a Numeral team immediately. I have Autolykos saliva in my blood stream." A pause. "It is quite sickening isn't it Rei- Forgive me, I mean One Hundred." She smiled, waiting for her friend's reply. "I expect a cup of tea in my quarters when I return."

Point Five quickly hung up and tossed the phone over her shoulder once more. As she steadily walked back to civilization, her blood red eyes wandered to her wound. A grimace was on her face as she spoke. "I know I'm taught not to touch it, but I cannot stand the breeze making it more noticeable…"


	2. Like Clockwork

Author Notes:

This happens to be my first ever Mai-HiME/Shiznat fanfic~ I'm surprised that it's a fantasy, but hey, when inspiration comes a knocking, you answer the door. Read, review, and enjoy.

And WOW, I honestly wasnt expecting so many reviews and subscribtions. Now itd be nice if those who subscribed would review but hey thats fine.

The blunette's green eyes opened to the world she always saw, one she knew all too well. A colorless wasteland of cruelty and senseless humans. Her eyes focused to see a familiar face above hers.

"Mai…"

She was answered by a smack on the head and a ringing sound in her ears. "Na-" Her yelling was cut off by A01 quickly. "You know better than to say my name out loud, no matter where we are." She took pride in knowing that Numeral didn't know her name nor appearance. Her well-known suit and helmet helped prevent that. All they knew of her was the name they gave her and that she specialized in shifting into canines.

A sigh escaped her seemingly gray haired friend who was a redhead in everyone elses eyes. "Fine, be that way. A01 you had us worried sick! First you were hunted down by Point Five, and then you pass out again. If I wasn't flying around in the area, you would have been taken back to Numeral." This caused them both to shiver.

"What conked me out this time?" A01 asked as though it was a regular thing. "Heartworms again." The voice belonged to Youko, who stood at the door of her room. "Pesky buggers…" She muttered under her breath. "I took the liberty of cleaning out your system while you were asleep. You still have to take your annual pills once every five or six hours." She explained, tossing her the heavy bottle of medication.

Before she had a chance to show her appreciation, the dirt ceiling shook vigorously. Quite unlike her, Youko threw her notepad to the ground in frustration and turned to look outside A01's room. "MIDORI!"

An orange cat greeted her, purring and rubbing her face into the doctor's shin. "Don't you try to hide it, you were constructing another room we don't need, weren't you?" The cat grinned and pawed at her pants leg. "Oh don't be mad at me, I just want to help everyone."

"Midori-chan, you know how unstable it is under here. We can only afford to renovate every couple of months. Who knows if Numeral is still out there tending to Point Five?" Mai scolded, trying to sound kind-hearted.

A01 smirked, remembering the damage she caused to Numeral's rat. Deep down she felt lucky to have left without any complications.

The feline frowned before shifting to her original form, her naked body around Youko's leg. "I know." Midori had constructed the space they were in. It's an underground hideaway, located in a very secret location. It had rooms, which were always being made, food, supplies, and work out equipment, radar systems, a mini hospital, and a chemical lab. When Midori found out that she wasn't the only shapeshifter, or Autolykos as some hunters called them, she wanted to help everyone in her condition. She collected as many of her kind as she could, and built them an underground home, to keep them safe from harms way. She has several built in each continent, and has been captured more than once for interrogation to find their exact whereabouts.

Heat rose up from her leg up to her face, causing her to turn red. "M-M-Midori…please move…" She mumbled, unable to move herself. "Nah, you know you like it, and I defidently like it, so I might as well stay."

Unable to look any longer, A01 turned away, a small blush on her face. Mai joined her until she saw a certain spiky haired girl come her way. "Mikoto! Are you done chopping up the vegetables?" The young girl frowned, wrapping her arms around Mai's waist. "Yeah. I hate it when you make me cut the food." "Well it's your gift, and it saves me time."

Everyone in the area, including several nameless shifters, turned and looked at Mai. "Gift" she calls it. Some faces held anger while others a grimace. What they had was nothing remotely like a gift. If anything it was a burden of some sort. A kind of mutation even.

A01 swiftly got up and left the room, going to the lounge area. There was someone she had to find, and she didn't have the time for idle chit-chat and naked women. Her eyes searched every open area available, needing to find him. "A01, are you looking for me?" The movement of material on her shoulder told her that someone was poking there. "There you are Gills." She sighed in relief, happy to see him.

He frowned in reply. "I told you just to call me Takumi. That or D97." She shrugged, enjoying his annoyed reaction. "Old habits die hard. 'Sides, your name is too close to Mai's." The boy gasped; shocked that she would bring that up. "You know we were caught at the same time…"

She immediately saw her mistake and corrected it. "Hey, Takumi, I didn't mean it. It just slipped." She patted him on the back, not knowing how to comfort someone properly. "It's okay… Just don't mention it again." A01 nodded in return.

"So anyway-"she began. "It's about the suit, right?" "The helmet too." Takumi gritted his teeth in anger. "They took both? That's a first." "You're telling me." She agreed, sharing the same anger. The young boy turned towards his room, which was labeled with a metal blue and silver fish. He absolutely hated that. "I have just a few backups. Once more materials arrive; I can make you a few more." That was Mai's brother for you. Handy and helpful just like her._ 'Also a tad… feminine.' _If that was a good enough word.

The two strode to his room, meeting a large black casket on the floor. A01 jumped back in reaction. "What the hell is that!?" Takumi turned and blinked at her. "That's where I keep your costume." He said casually, as if that was normal. "B-but we have closets…" "That are made of dirt. Nao isn't bringing home enough money for fancy things. I needed to keep them clean for you." She looked at him up and down, looking for any signs that he held feelings for her. _'No, he's just OCD." _

Going through a combination, Takumi opened the casket for her. "You must remember that your outfit is state of the art and is made out of stretch material to…" By this point, she allowed her mind to wander, not caring about his speech.

'_I hope Nao went shopping. We ran out of mayonnaise last week and I had to resort to stealing some from a deli. Damn lazy ass needs to find herself a real job instead of body hopping. Heh. Body hopping. That's so like her. Like a little spider jumping on people with her little eight legs and her helpless eyes, just waiting to be squashed from the big bad wolf with a tissue and a garbage can…' _She snickered at her own thoughts, utterly amused by them. That's when her cover was blown.

"Gills" turned his head slowly, a vein on his forehead twitching. Now usually Takumi Tokiha was a very calm and kind soul, but when he is interrupted during one of his fabric rants, he will lose it. "A01." She felt the electricity in the air as if it were a shock collar. She swallowed back an uncharacteristic whine and replied differently. "T-thanks for telling me about the suit, Takumi. I'll treat it with more respect now." Sometimes she knew exactly what to say when to say it. His facial expression shifted to happiness as he nodded and handed her the suit and helmet combo. A smile was on her face as her eyes trailed the red stripe followed by a white border up the sides of the blue suit. Of course, that's not exactly what she saw. She saw a gray stripe with a white border on an even darker gray outfit. Regardless, it made her happy to see the clothes she had worn all her life.

She was forced out of her happy state from a commotion that was starting in the lounge. Poking her head out of Takumi's room, she saw that Nao was home. With some important news no less. But her eyes fell on the plastic grocery bag in her hand. A01 raised her head up to the dirt roof, sniffing the air. Her senses moved past the smell of Earth and wafted around the scent of sweet heavenly mayonnaise. It was coming from Nao. That was all she needed to know before pouncing like a cat on the bag.

"Whoa there, pup. You can't have these just yet." _'These? There's more than one jar?' _Her mental tail wagged back and forth at the mere thought of so much mayonnaise. Nao yanked the full bag away from A01's paws, keeping the treasure to herself.

"We all have a proposition for you." Midori smirked, leaning her face close to hers. A01 was relieved that the older woman was now clothed. "A proposition?" She repeated, wondering what everyone could possibly want from her. "In the name of Justice, Peace, Serenity, the good of all-""Midori, shut up." Youko stopped her before she got any more excited.

Everyone internally whispered a thank you for her interruption. Mai took the liberty of being leader in Midori's absence. "We all know of Point Five and her reputation as one of Numeral's most ruthless hunters. Some of us from experience." Her eyes made their way to those who knew her from such an occasion. Most nodded while some stared off into space, as if relieving that moment. "She must die." Those three words set a few of them off, some with disbelief and some wit determination. Apparently only Nao, Midori, and Mai knew of the proposition.

A01 laughed aloud, causing everyone to shift their attention from Mai to her. "And what? You want me to do it?" She said, an incredulous tone in her voice. "To put it bluntly, yeah." Nao answered this time. "How? You cant even get a couple of yards in front of the woman without receiving a bullet somewhere or her activating the chip." Her words came out cruelly, reflecting how she truly felt about Numeral, their hunters, and the chips.

When an Autolykos is captured, they are put into testing. Luckily, Numeral, the organization that auctions off, kills, or experiments on shapeshifters, don't know how to make them take on their original forms again. So if you're caught as a bird, a dog, or a cat, than you're identity is safe. But you will be reminded about what happened. All test subjects undergo a surgery of some sort. Awake. The back of the neck is sliced open, for starters. An electrical chip, much like the one for computers, or even cell phones, is installed to their nerves. Five or ten nerve endings are clipped in the midsection and wires replace the openings. The wires stretch out their components, eventually reaching the brain. That is their target. They want to control your shifting. Or at least force you to stop misbehaving. They sew you up after holding you down, unable to deal with your screaming, (nerves are very sensitive) and brand you. You know the steam shaped iron they brand cows with? Think of that, but embroided with a specific number for that specimen being burned into a conscious person's neck, a very sensitive part of the body, including the skin. When activated, the person receives a burning sensation, warning them that Numeral is in control and will take over if necessary. They are then thrown into a cell, and auctioned off on another day. Only the lucky escape.

"You won't approach her as a person, stupid." Nao was the first to react, everyone else stunned into silence. Another laugh escaped her lips. "As a dog?" The three in charge nodded simultaneously. "More precisely, a puppy left on her porch step." Mai explained, a small smile on her face. A01 felt her eyes widen. It is true that she can take on the form of a puppy, but what they were telling her was incomprehensible. She would have to live with Point Five for who knows how long. As her pet, no less.

Before she could answer, Midori did for her. "You have to do this, A01. You're our hope for the future." Her tone was much more serious now, stressing her mission's importance. Her reply came in a nod first, then words. "I understand. I will make this world a better place for out kind. You all can count on me." There was a small pause. "As long as I can have mayonnaise before and after." The room burst with laughter, amused by her conditions.

"FOR JUSTICE!" Midori thrust her fist in the air, expecting for everyone else to do the same. Silence followed.

"Yeah sure." A01 answered, unscrewing the lid on the first jar.

End of Chapter 2.

Omake:

Shizuru: I feel as though I was being made fun of in this chapter.

Natsuki: You kind of were.

Shizuru: -activates Natuski's chip- I want you to apologize in a beautiful way.

Natsuki: -twitches- Oh Shizuru, please forgive me. You know how much I love you. Please allow me to make love to you on the spot to make amends.

Shizuru: -smirks evilly- Please do. _'I'm keeping this remote.'_


	3. Home Sweet Home I Guess

**Author Notes: **

**Thanks for enjoying the story so far! It really motivates me to write more, if you hadn't noticed. But soon I'll move my focus onto my other Shiznat works, and update every now and then. **

**Thanks again. BD**

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"Alright, remember what we told you: look cute, be playful, and try not to shift back. You do have to change your size every month though." Mai explained, carrying A01 in her hands, up to her chest.

"MONTH?! How long am I supposed to be there?" She barked, highly upset by that update. "No talking. If you need us, just use your mind." She flicked her friend in the nose, which caused her to sneeze, then whine. _'Yes Ma'am.' 'Good girl.'_

"According to Youko, this is where Point Five lives." The two cocked their heads upwards, looking at the tall house. _'Someone gets paid quite a lot to murder.' _Mai nodded in agreement. "This is it. Are you ready?"

'_As ready as I'll ever be.' _Mai carefully placed her in the small cardboard box before the door. The streetlight shined down on them, reveling what the makeshift home read. "Too much of a handful."

The pup scoffed, not believing that. She then inclined her head to her old friend, wanting to say a goodbye. _'_See_ ya Mai. I'll be back before you know it.' _Mai swallowed her sob and rang the door bell before shifting into an eagle. _'Be safe. We'll be waiting for you.'_ She looked at the abandoned pup before flying off, not wanting to be caught.

'_Be cute, be cute.' _As the door slowly opened, A01 smiled brightly, her tongue hanging out and eyes shining.

"Ara, what do we have here?" Point Five stood, incredibly tall before her, her head tilted to the side. One look at the dog and she took her gun out, aiming at her forehead. _'S-shit!' _

"Blue." Was all she said as she released the safety. A short haired brunette appeared at her side at the sound of the gun click. "Shizuru, what are you doing? It's just a poor dog." She frowned, fixing her glasses. "You are mistaken, Yukino. The only canine that is blue is A01, the Autolykos." Her finger inched closer to the trigger but pulled back after Yukino got closer to the pup.

She was examining the seemingly three month old, lifting her up and looking at her closely. "This is an Australian Shepherd." She announced, expecting her friend to know what that meant. She sighed, almost face palming. "One of the only dogs that can be blue." She stroked the pup's fur, causing tingles of pleasure up A01's spine. She panted happily in return. "It's not A01. We know that when she shifts, the dog turns entirely blue. This one is blue and white."

'_How naïve. Just because I haven't turned into any dogs with more than one color doesn't mean I can't mimic the other colors as well. My hair is blue; therefore if I shift into a solid colored dog, I will look blue. If I shift into a brown and white dog, I will look blue and white instead. It was mere luck to decide on a dog that can also be blue.' _A01 smiled, tricking the two hunters, as well as Numeral.

"I see." Shizuru replied sadly, hooking the gun back on her waist. This pissed A01 off. _'You wanted to shoot me that bad, huh? Sorry to disappoint!' _She barked continuously at Point Five, without realizing it. Shizuru smirked, looking down at the dog. "What a fighter." She took her from Yukino, and lifted her up, their eyes meeting. "Try me, pup." _'Gladly!' _Unfortunately, all A01 could do in such a small body was nip the older woman's nose.

Unable to hold it in, Shizuru chuckled at the pathetic attack. "It's pretty obedient, isn't it, Shizuru?" The girl in question looked down at the label on the box. "Indeed. I think I like it." Her ear twitched in anger. 'IT?'

"Weird looking hog you got there, Bubuzuke." Haruka emerged from behind, staring at the dog in Shizuru's hands. Yukino sighed once more. "That's 'dog', Haruka." The blonde barked at the brunette, much like A01 did. "That's what I said!"

"Come, let's go inside." Shizuru carried her new pet into the vast house, setting her on the coffee table in the living room. The two outside bickered a little longer before following her back inside. "What is this, might I ask?" The only male voice since she arrived spoke. She looked up to see quite the handsome man. She blushed ever so slightly as a reaction. He was very tall, but that was probably because of how short she now was. He had black well kept hair and wore a hunting outfit much like the rest of the group. She growled under her breath, upset that she ever carried the smallest bit of feelings towards a Numeral, no matter how brief they were.

"A little thing I found on my porch." Was Point Five's reply. She made herself comfortable on the sofa next to Reito, her eyes on the pup. "How cute." He smiled, reaching down and petting her head softly. Her expression reverted back to joy as she rubbed her face into his palm. _'He's probably gay anyway with a line like that.' _

Shizuru quickly picked her up by the ear, away from Reito's loving touch. Unable to hide her displeasure, she yapped a little at her new master. "Oh hush." She scolded, knowing full well that A01 could understand human speech. She rolled the dog on her back and smirked down at her. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed what the hunter was going to do. Her finger went down slowly, causing A01 to squirm impatiently. In one awkward motion, Shizuru flicked one of the several nipples on her belly. "So you're a girl."

She felt her face heat up as she held in a soft moan. _'Wha- I- uh- MAI!' _She looked up at Point Five with a scowl. She was far busy talking with her friends to notice. 'A01! What's wrong?' 'Mai, oh God Mai, I've been violated!' She waited for her friend's reply, which never came. She was most likely laughing as well. She grit her teeth and tried to ignore the sensations that were still running up and down her body.

"Thanks for coming over. Tell Akira and Nagi not to skip out next time." A01 didn't notice before, but now she was alone on the sofa as Point Five escorted her friends out the door, telling them that they would catch up soon. _'No, no, no. I can't possibly be alone with her now. For all I know she still has her suspicions.' _

"Ara, Alpha, since I don't own any dog food, you will have to make due with people food." _'Alpha? Is she referring to me?' _She turned and looked at Shizuru questionably, who was now making her way to the kitchen. The mini version of A01 flopped off the couch and followed behind her as fast as her little paws could carry her. Not paying attention, she ran smack dab into Shizuru's leg, making her yelp. "Watch where you're going, Alpha." Her owner scolded, wagging a finger at her.

'_Yeah whatever.' _Going through Point Five's legs, she made her way to the refrigerator. Unable to reach the handle, she pawed at the door miserably. _'I'm starving, c'mon Point Five, open up!' _She turned to the taller woman, posing the best pitiful face she could. _'Pleeeease?' _

"Who are you trying to fool with that?" Not the reaction she wanted.

'_That really was quite cute though. But I can't admit such a thing'_, Shizuru thought to herself. She smiled and picked up the dog, holding her quite roughly. Swinging the door open with one hand, she allowed A01 to pick anything she wanted.

Her eyes scanned every shelf and compartment, shocked by how much she managed to shove into the fridge. _'What to pick, what to pick… There's so much!' _She quickly found what she needed. There, right in front of her, next to the other condiments, was a jar of Miracle Whip, the mother of all mayonnaise. Her eyes twinkled with excitement and joy. _'I've only seen it in the commercials… We can't afford to buy expensive mayo like this… It's so beautiful.' _For a brief second, she was worried that she'd break down and cry at such a sight.

Her tail swiftly wagged back and forth as her ears perked. She tried to reach out to it, pawing the air in its direction. The brunette holding her raised an eyebrow at her pet's struggles. "Ara? Is it mayonnaise what Alpha wants?" Her face shifted to one of disgust. "Just _straight_ mayonnaise?"

A01 nodded, practically pleading for a taste. "Alright then." Shizuru put her down and grabbed the jar before closing the door. Not wanting the dog to lick straight from the bottle, she fetched her a bowl and poured the thick liquid like substance into it. The second the bowl hit the wood flooring, A01 lapped at its contents.

Point Five stepped back and watched her new pet devour all of the mayonnaise in just seconds. When A01 looked up at her, face covered in the stuff, she saw her new owner laughing at her. She growled and ran her tongue along her nose and face, knowing that she had mayo all over. "Not just there, either." Before she knew it, her paws were being cleaned. Shizuru was carefully wiping the condiment off, using a paper towel. "All clean."

A01's eyes softened at the gesture, seeing some good in the hunter. _'Guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about you. Maybe living here won't be too bad.'_

"Now time for a bath." The dog's eyes widened in fear and surprise. _'No! No, please don't, I bathed before I got here!' _Shizuru smirked down at the pup, picking her up and carrying her to the kitchen sink. _'No! No! Not there! There's still dish water in there!' _"This wont do." The Autolykos hunter said, placing her finger on her chin. "You'll just have to take one with me then." _'Oh thank- WHAT?' _

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

Hot water poured down on A01, making her blue and white fur hang down. Her nose was almost touching the floor as she tried her best not to look up at her naked enemy. Not realizing that she was being placed on Shizuru's lap, when she looked up at the sound of the others laughter, her face provided leverage for the hunter's breasts. She had to blink a few times, making sure that wasn't what she thought it was balancing on her head. Looking up slowly, she saw that she was correct in her assumptions.

Surprise overwhelmed her as she fell back, scrambling to get on all fours. _'Listen, Natsuki, she is the enemy.' _She looked back up at the older woman, who was trying her best to hide another laugh. _'That… beautiful… person…' _The pup shook her head back and forth, clearing her thoughts. _'Keep your eye on the prize, Kuga. She must die at the first sign of weakness.' _

"Alpha." A01 found herself responding to the pet name, mentally cursing herself at the same time. Her tail wagged back and forth at the sound of her accent. "Come here." She gestured towards the dog, reaching her hand out in a beckoning motion. Excitement and curiosity got the best of her as she ran up to the Autolykos killer, making herself at home on her lap once again. _'Damnit, I fell for it.'_

Soon soft hands rubbed her all over, applying shampoo. The dog's eyes closed as she panted happily. Her smooth hands made their way up to her head, scratching softly by her ears. A smile spread across her face as she put her paws up on the older woman's stomach. Her tail was wagging much faster now, practically cutting through the air.

'_Feels so good…' _She felt like sleeping, she was so content. Before she knew it, she was being dried off with a spare towel. "That was nice, don't you think?" The hunter asked, knowing full well that A01 agreed.

She barked, the first one that didn't have an angry undertone in it. She was rewarded with a pat on the head.

Shizuru took her time getting dress, making sure that the casual kimono was on right. During this time, she thought to herself, wondering why she kept talking to Alpha like a person. _'Lonely, perhaps?'_ She let the thought leave as quickly as it came, not wanting to admit such a thing.

'_Who wears something as fancy as that to sleep?'_ She was watching Point Five the whole time, noticing the smallest of movements. She mentally shrugged and followed her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, which was right across from it.

'_The more I see this house, the more I think Midori's keeping us away from the finer things in life. I mean look at this bed! It could easily fit four or even five people!' _She sprinted forward, preparing herself to jump onto the huge bed. Unfortunately, she once again forgot how short she was and jumped only to fall flat on her face. Her eyes began to water with the pain, but she dismissed it, for she had been through worse.

"Oh no." Her new master mumbled, picking her up gently. Accepting the comfort, she buried her face in the hunter's chest, like how she saw Mikoto doing to Mai. A hand stroked from the top of her head down to her tail lovingly.

How much A01 had yearned for these simple gestures.

"Let's get to bed." She placed the pup down carefully on a pillow before laying her head down on one next to her. She winked at her pet before rolling on her side.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

It was late, and A01 couldn't sleep. That's when she decided to strike. Shizuru had been asleep for hours, the shifter had counted. She should kill her now before there was any emotional attachment.

Besides the one she was already developing. Changing back to original form, she crept over to the sleeping hunter, hovering above her. She took a deep breath. _'Just strangle her and leave. C'mon, do it.' _

As the blunette's hands reached down towards the sleeping beauty's neck, she was abruptly stopped by something completely unpredictable.

A balled up fist to her face.

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**Authors Note: **

**Yeah I know, cliffhanger.**

**But I gotta leave the people wondering.**

**Thanks for reading, please review!**

**Bonus:**

**I know what the other six Autolykos can shift into, but I have no clue what to do with Youko.**

**Please tell me your ideas about what she should shift into; I'd like to tell more about her and Midori.**

**Omake:**

**Shizuru: Ara, my Na-tsu-ki saw me naked!**

**Natsuki: -turns bright red- You forced me to!**

**Shizuru: -ignores that- It's only fair if I see Natsuki naked too~**

**Natsuki: But- I- uh…**

**SuddenNoize: She's right, you know.**

**Natsuki: SHUT UP YOU!**


	4. A Small Setback

**Author Notes: **

**Sorry for the wait, all. I needed to take some kind of break. That and I had no idea how this chapter was gonna go XD **

**And thanks everyone for your help with Youko.**

**I finally have an idea. **

**DISCLAMER: I DON'T OWN MAI-HIME, AND I DON'T WANT TO.**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

It had happened so fast, A01 had no time to properly react. The fist hit her dead on, knocking all senses out of her.

"Mission accomplished." The brunette replied mockingly, not making eye contact with the stunned shifter.

One hand covered her possibly broken bleeding nose, while the other was balled in a shaking fist; preparing to counter attack. Her shut eyes watered; doing all it could about the sudden pain.

After the long bout of silence, she opened one flooded eye, seeing what was going on. Her mind was in a fury, trying to comprehend the attack. _'How the hell was I caught? I didn't slip up, not once. This doesn't make any sense!'_

What she saw confused her deeply, her face a blank. Shizuru was on her side, mumbling about it being a direct hit.

She was asleep.

Two thoughts hit A01 at the same time. _'She must have some serious skills.' _And _'She fights in her sleep?'_.

She blinked a few times at what lay before her before sighing loudly. _'Better go fix my nose.' _The hurt shifter eased away from the hunter slowly, not wanting to get attacked again. Once off the bed, she shook her bloody hand, sending a few drops on the carpet.

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she realized that she would have to leave the room without waking Shizuru up. _'If I shift, I'll leave a trail of blood… I'll just have to sneak out the door quietly as a human. If she wakes up and sees me… Well I've still got some fight in me.' _She nodded at her own thoughts, making her way towards the exit.

Even though she knew it was all in her head, she kept feeling like every step she took creaked louder than the last. After every few steps, she would look back at the sleeping beauty, sweat falling down her face. To her quick relief, she was still fast asleep.

The door was very loud; moaning stubbornly as she opened it. Taking another look back at Shizuru, she left the room in a silent hurry.

Lucky for her, the bathroom was right in front of her. She flipped on the light at once; her eyes seeing different colored shapes drift in and out of her vision. Whenever she tried to focus on one, it would sprint away. Sighing, she decided to ignore them and head towards the mirror.

She shouted at her own appearance, quickly covering her mouth afterwards. The blunette looked back at the exhausted hunter once more, fear creeping up her spine. The brunette shifted lightly in her sleep, turning away from the light in the other room. _'Deep sleeper.'_ She thought with a sigh.

Her emerald green eyes glanced back at the reflective glass. "Bitch…" She murmured, referring to the one that hit her. As she assessed the damage, she found herself getting angrier at the infamous Point Five. Her left eye was swollen; on the near verge of turning black, purple, and other colors the skin shouldn't be. Her nose was slightly crooked, a sign of being dislocated. Blood dripped from there and from her lips. _'Talk about a punch. I outta get her back for this.' _Her eyes seemed to glow at the thought of getting even.

A01 took a deep breath, preparing herself for her next move. Her hand crept up to her nose slowly, not wanting what was to happen. Closing her eyes tight, she made the quick action of cracking her nose back in place. For the second time that night, her eyes began to water. _'J-jeez, Kuga, didn't think you were such the crybaby.' _The shifter usually referred herself as Kuga in her mind; an odd habit of hers. She didn't question it; for it didn't matter to her.

Profanities spewed from her mouth in a sudden burst; the pain a bit too much for the teenager.

During her mini rampage, she failed to see a pair of amused red eyes watching her intently. _'Now I could just be dreaming, but it looks like there is a naked girl fighting with herself in my bathroom.' _She smirked at the thought, feeling somewhat lucky. The girl was very adorable when her face was red with anger. She rubbed her eyes, a yawn escaping her lips. She turned back to her side, tossing her long honey hair out of the way. _'She doesn't seem to be very bloodthirsty. She's probably here for a place to sleep or money.' _She shrugged from under the sheets. _'If she finds any, she can have it. I would rather give it to her myself, but that doesn't seem to be a wise choice at the time. She's pretty angry, I wonder why…'_She drifted into a deep sleep, stopping mid thought.

Shifting back into her 'Alpha' form, she shuffled back into the room, exhausted. Her eyes blinked lazily, trying to find a way back onto the bed. She was far too small to just leap onto the cushiony mattress. It took her only a few seconds to come up with a plan; not caring how illogical it sounded.

Walking back to the bathroom, she stood her place firmly, paws digging into the wooden floor. After preparing herself, she sprinted towards the bed, getting ready for take off. Once she got close enough, she jumped, only to throw herself into the bed frame.

Whining, she muttered a "Fine, didn't want to sleep there anyway." Before curling up into a ball on the floor.

A stubborn scowl remained on her face for the rest of the night, even in sleep.

v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

The smell of bacon wafted in the air, waking up the sleeping shifter immediately. Her moist nose was aimed up towards the ceiling, taking in all of the scent. Her ears suddenly perked at the sound of voices. Galloping on all fours, the pup scampered into the kitchen, seeing who Shizuru's guest was.

He was a young man, perhaps in middle school. His hair was an unnatural white, the kind that you couldn't get even from bleaching it. Pink eyes twinkled mischievously from under his bangs, as he slyly grinned up at her master. There was an air about him that made A01 feel uncomfortable. It was the kind of feeling you got just as the lights in the kitchen turned on as your hand reached into the cookie jar. The feeling of being caught.

Ignoring the sudden surge of emotion, she walked straight up to Shizuru at pawed at her apron. Pretending like she didn't see the flash of blue enter the room before, she bent down and ran a hand through her soft fur saying "Ara, good morning, Alpha."

The boy began to snicker at her pet name, which made her mentally blush. "Why is its name Alpha?" She answered him quickly, her eyes still on her pup. "Because she thinks she's in charge." Shizuru smiled at A01, there eyes meeting. Not feeling the least bit intimidated, the dog allowed their stare down.

If she was able to see the red of Shizuru's eyes, she probably would have broken off the contact nervously. As all people did. Winking at her, she got up and fetched her a few strips of bacon.

"And you just let her continue to think that? How unowner-like. You're her master; she should learn to accept that." Shizuru just shrugged, getting a jar of mayonnaise and pouring it into a bowl. "Why crush her dreams like that?"

"Are you feeding it… mayonnaise?"

"Yes, SHE likes it." The shifter's tail wagged back and forth, the pace quickening at the sight of the bowl. The hunter smiled down at her, almost in a mocking manner. She truly found her pets taste for mayonnaise interesting. If not odd.

The bowl touched the ground only for a few seconds before being lapped up by the eager dog. Rolling his eyes, the boy changed topics.

"You know what I'm here about." His eyes darkened as his tone became serious. Shizuru's on the other hand maintained its teasing ways. "You're here for your morning breakfast. Like you are everyday."

He sighed; face palming himself with the title less black book in his hand. "Besides that. Shizuru, listen. I really think that you should quit Numeral." A01's eyes darted up from the bowl, mayo dripping from her nose.

"Ara, you say that almost everyday. But don't you enjoy the feel of the kill?"

"You don't. You're too nice for this line of work." He sipped his cup of coffee before continuing. "I know why you do it, but it still doesn't add up. You don't owe them this."

"I owe them everything." Her voice was as cold as ice, making even A01 shiver. "I don't like doing what I do, but if it pleases them, I continue to do it."

Before she could go on, Nagi was already up and towards the door. "Think about my offer, Shi-chan." He left silently, not another word passing between them.

'_I told you no yesterday.'_

Shizuru yelped quietly, as wet fur rubbed against her ankle. She looked down to see a pair of concerned green eyes looking up at her. "Ara, don't worry. I'm quite alright." Her puppy didn't believe that one bit.

'_Who was that creep?', s_he almost asked aloud. She nudged the older girl with her nose, practically demanding a proper answer. Shizuru said no more as she prepared a cup of tea.

But Shizuru didn't know Natsuki, and Natsuki didn't take silence as an answer. She proceeded to chew and gnaw on the hem of her kimono. Red eyes narrowed at the action, not seeing it as cute. Her mask suddenly snapped into place, not wanting to scare the dog. She bent down, smiling in an eerie way, not being able to hide all of it. "Alpha shouldn't do that."

A01 dropped the material immediately, sensing some sort of threat. _'But she wouldn't hurt a dog would she?' _Her thoughts traced back to when she was being shot at in the forest. _'…maybe she would.' _

Before any more tension could be caused, one of the many cell phones on Shizuru's person began to ring a piano melody. There was a sudden seriousness in her eyes as she removed her apron and took the phone from her vest pocket. She answered very business-like, wanting to get to the point.

"This is Point Five."

A01 cringed slightly at the name, remembering just how much torture this one woman had got her in. Sure, she wasn't the one torturing her, but she was the one who delivered her countless times to the labs. _'Yes, that's right. She is the enemy, she always has been and she always will be. The enemy must fall. And the enemy must die.' _She felt like slitting the hunter's throat at that very instant.

"Yes, I see." Point Five went on, continuing the conversation on the other line. "And the location?" She paused, allowing the other person to answer. "I'll be there shortly." She hung up quickly, and proceeded to drop the phone in the garbage disposal.

A01's eyes widened as she barked at the insane girl. _'What the hell, man! That was a perfectly good cell phone!' _The hunter plugged her ears with her hands, the barking far too loud for her tastes.

"Alpha, it's not a big deal." She tried to soothe the dog as she carried her off to her bedroom. She set the frustrated A01 on the bed as she made her way to her walk-in closet. Getting the attention of the pup, she shrugged the kimono down her shoulders, reveling creamy pale skin. She gulped, wanting to look away, but couldn't find the courage to.

The violet and metallic silver kimono with sakura blossoms on its sides made its way down to her lower back. A01 felt her face heat up as she pushed her nose to the carpeting, trying not to look any more.

Fortunately, the next time she looked up, Shizuru was clad in a pair of _'very sexy lingerie.' _They were also purple and very frilly, reveling quite a lot. The pup found herself not thinking about that, but thinking about how great that piece would look in her collection. Her tail swished back and forth across the sheets at the mere thought.

Snapping out of her dream world, she noticed that Shizuru was pulling a black and purple striped long sleeve shirt over her head. Afterwards, she zipped up then buttoned a black leather vest over it. A bullet belt was then put on top of that. She slipped on tight black leather pants with ease before shoving her feet in her signature boots. The belt was the last thing she put on, and the most important. A01's eyes scanned it, looking at every weapon. There were daggers, pepper spray, several different guns, and a remote. Figuring that today's mission would be harder than the last, Shizuru strapped a Katana over her body. The whole action of putting on her clothes was incredibly graceful; the pup couldn't keep her eyes off of her.

A01 flinched, seeing Point Five in her hunting uniform. There was a patch on her vest of a white emoticon face with an eye patch and the letter N for an eye. It was the symbol that Numeral hunters wore.

"Well Alpha, I'll be going now. I'm sure you'll do fine by yourself, you are in charge after all." She smiled at the startled pup. "I'll be back sometime today." She briskly left the room, leaving her behind.

'_Wait! Who are you going to hunt?!' _A01 followed her, keeping up with the hunter's pace. Shizuru stopped in her tracks, the pup behind her running into her legs. "I'm sorry Alpha. I can't tell you anything and I can't take you with me. It's far too dangerous." She sounded sad, as though she didn't want to leave. She softly pet her 'Alpha' on the head before closing the door behind her.

Not long after she left, the doorbell rang. A01 jumped on the sofa and peered out the window, seeing a salesman. _'Better tell the guy no.' _Shifting back to her original form, she walked back to Shizuru's room and borrowed a robe before answering the door.

"I'm not looking to buy anything." She answered bluntly, getting ready to close the door at the person. But the door was stopped by a foot. She opened it and glared up at the man before he shifted into a she. Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Sure she had seen it several times before, but each time is more amazing than the last. "Well I'm not looking to sell you anything either." The redhead replied in a mocking manner, making her way into the house.

Nao whistled at the sight. "Nice house. Way better than underground." A01 couldn't blame her for saying so, for she was constantly comparing the home to her own. "So Dog, how ya doing here?"

"I was punched in the face." She growled, pissed that the redhead had asked. "Huh, can't tell." She studied her face, coming to that conclusion. "It already healed, stupid spider."

Nao ignored that. "Does that mean you were found out? Looks like you got some last night." She pointed to the robe, knowing that the blunette was naked under it.

Her face flushed, not making Nao think otherwise. "N-no." "Sounds like a y-yes to me." She mocked, laughing at her old friend. "Shut up. What'd you really come her for, Nao?"

"Whoa, that's T09 to you." "I'm not calling you that." "Than I'm not calling you A01." She panicked for a second, not wanting her name to get out. Especially in her enemy's home.

"Fine. What'd you come her for, T09?" "Well A01, I've got some bad news." Her voice grew serious. Seeing this, A01 leaned in, worry catching the best of her. "What is it?"

"Point Five's target today is Takumi."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Notes: **

**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it.  
**

**Omake:**

**Natsuki: Ow, what the hell Shizuru?**

**Shizuru: I'm sorry Natsuki; I only did what the script told me. **

**Natsuki: It says to punch me lightly! I'm bleeding all over!**

**Shizuru: Ara, I guess I don't know my own strength~ **

**Natsuki: = A=**

**Shizuru: Oh don't worry Na-tsu-ki~ I'll kiss you all over and make it feel all better.**

**Natsuki: Y-yeah you better. ///**


	5. Please Dont

Author Notes:

Damn, I've been on a roll lately. –grins-

I'll try to write a chapter of one of my stories everyday.

I mean hey, its summer, what else can I do? I've got nothing but free time and people to amuse.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A01 didn't need to hear any more. _'Gills.'_ Sorrow filled her as she undid the robe and shifted into a wolf. Snarling with sudden rage, she left Nao behind, needing to get to Takumi. _'How could I be so stupid? I should've paid more attention; I should've forced her to tell me who her target was. This is all my fault.'_

Sprinting out into the street, she decided to check their home first, that is, until someone's thought penetrated her own. _'Natsuki.' _Green eyes widened as she stopped on the sidewalk. _'Mai! Mai, are you okay?' _She waited for what seemed like hours for Mai's response. _'Front of the house, center of the woods.' _Was all she was told.

She nodded once and ran into the nearby forest, knowing a short cut. _'Mai, what's happening?' _This time, there was no answer. Panic clutched her throat, along with anger and betrayal. _'I shouldn't have trust her. Not even for an instant. No, I should have killed her last night.' _Her eyes grew dark, the thought of Shizuru hurting her dear friends clouding her mind.

The intensity of her anger fueled her, driving her closer and closer towards the hunter. In the upcoming distance she saw a lone figure, holding something in the air. A body lay on the floor beneath it.

As she got closer, her heart beat louder in her chest, pain crawling up her lungs. Her breath grew heavy, and she soon held it in her over worked lungs, seeing the sight before her.

On the ground was Mai, twisting and contorting in pain. Sweat dripped from her face as her eyes were shut tight. Standing above her was Shizuru Fujino, Point Five, clad in the outfit A01 saw her in not long ago. Something long, almost snake like, twitched in her hand.

A01 walked slowly towards her, the sound of grass crunching against itself. A voice suddenly startled her, causing her to freeze in pace.

"Try to electrocute me D97, and I'll crush you." Her grip tightened, showing the electric eel in her hand that she meant what she had said. Takumi gasped, already dying from the lack of oxygen. There was no way he could shift back while in such a tight space.

Natsuki couldn't just sit there anymore. As she leapt into the air, she shifted back into her original form, knowing full well of the consequences. She tackled Shizuru quickly, knocking Takumi out of her hand and sending both of them to the ground.

Feeling the sudden impact, Shizuru put her training to good use, and punched the blunette in the stomach. A01 flinched and rolled off of the girl; the wind had been knocked out of her. "Ara, who might you be?" She asked her, crimson eyes narrowing at the cause of the interruption.

The blunette coughed up some blood, unable to hold it back. She wiped the red liquid from her lips, her fist smudging it away. Hearing her question, she answered with an excuse she uses every time she is caught naked somewhere.

"Just your average freedom fighter." She pointed to Takumi, who was now passed out. "That's animal cruelty you know."

Shizuru chuckled at her reply. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Do you?" Natsuki answered with a question of her own, her head titled to the side. There was a cocky air about that motion that only she could do. It was as if she was mocking the person it was aimed at.

"Perhaps not. But this is my mission, and that 'animal' over there is my target. If you don't mind, I have to take him with me." She got up, with an amazing quickness and headed over to the eel. Before she could pick him up, she was tackled to the ground once more.

"Ara, I'm beginning to think that you like being on top of me." She smirked up at the now blushing Natsuki. "Shut up! This is serious!" She looked back at the hurt Mai before clenching her fist. Her balled up hand came dangerously close to the older woman's right cheek.

But she pulled away.

"Just… please don't." Everything in her screamed to shift into something, but she didn't want to be caught. She didn't want to have her identity found out, and most importantly, she didn't want Shizuru to see her like that.

Red eyes widened at her statement, completely surprised. _'Why is she so… So determined about it? She doesn't have anything to do with this. ….Or does she?' _"Who are you?"

"I already told you." Natsuki almost choked on her words, she was trying to keep herself from crying out of anger and desperation. "A name. If anything, just your first name." Being so close to her, Shizuru could feel the girl gulp. _'Should I tell her?' _She looked down at the brunette before looking away. "Natsuki."

"Na-tsu-ki?" Shizuru repeated, making sure she had it right. A01 blushed at how she pronounced her name, each syllable being said in her Kyoto accent. "Y-yeah, that's right." She looked away, not wanting her to see.

'_I've got an idea.' _Shizuru smiled, looking up at the naked girl. "I have a proposition for you, Natsuki." The blunette looked back to her cautiously. "What kind of proposition?"

"You said you were a 'freedom fighter', correct?" Natsuki's eyebrow twitched, reminding herself that that was what she told the girl beneath her. "Yeah, what of it?" "So you live in the wilderness, away from civilization?" Shizuru tilted her head to the side, seeing if her guess was correct. "Can you get on with it?" Natsuki growled at her.

"If Natsuki stays with me for a while, I'll let the eel live."

"Deal." A01 answered quickly, not thinking about the problem in that. "Ara, Natsuki." "Hmm?" "I know you're having a good time laying on me and all, but would you mind getting off?" The surprised shifter quickly jumped off of the girl, blushing madly.

"Natsuki." Shizuru said her name calmly as she got up and wiped dirt off her pants. "Yeah, what?" She snapped at her, not liking her name being said by her so much. "You can still be naked at my house." She winked at the girl, causing shivers up her spine.

"B-baka! Who'd want to be naked near you?!" She stomped, walking a little away from the brunette.

Laughing to herself, she took out a spare cell phone from her belt. "Natsuki." At the sound of her name, she turned around and was greeted with a cell phone flying in her direction. "When you're ready for me to pick you up, call the second number in the contacts list."

That was the last thing she said before walking back to civilization, leaving Takumi and Mai on the ground. _'Forgive me Numeral, for I have failed you. I don't deserve to be your daughter…' _

'_Nao.' _Natsuki waited a few minutes for the redheads reply while watching Shizuru walk away. _'Oh now do you care about me?' 'Shut it, Spider. I need you to inform Youko that she'll need to prepare two hospital beds. My link with her is weak, so I can't tell her myself.' _

'_Yeah okay. See you at home.' 'Yeah.' _Natsuki looked left and right, making sure the coast was clear before shifting into a wolf. She began to paw at the ground, digging until she saw water. _'It's a good thing Gills isn't a real fish, or he'd be dead by now.' _She lifted the hurt eel carefully, her teeth gently around him.

Dropping him in the small pond of water, she made her way over to Mai, whose breathing became stable after Shizuru's departure. Her moist nose pressed against Mai's cheek, feeling her temperature. She was slightly warm, nothing too serious. She proceeded to check Mai of any injuries, her eyes scanning her body. She had a few dagger wounds, none life threatening.

"A-A01!" She heard a soft voice from behind her. She turned back to the ditch, smiling while her tongue hung out. "Hey Gills." "What happened..?" He asked, shifting back to his original form. "I'll explain later, could you carry Mai for me? We need to get home."

"Mmm." Takumi said while nodding. Carrying his sister bridal style, he and Natsuki made their way towards their home in silence.

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

"Are you stupid?!" Nao yelled at the blunette, reaching on her tippie toes to make level eye contact. "No, I'm not. I just wasn't thinking at the time. I was ready to do whatever it took to keep Takumi and Mai safe." Green eyes darted to the floor, hoping the redhead would understand.

"That's great and all, but it ruins our plan! How can you stay there as a person and a dog?!"

"It's simple, Nao." A voice intervened. Natsuki and Nao looked around for the owner of the voice. They were sure it was Youko's.

"Stop! You know that's a sensitive spot~" Hearing the voice beneath them, the looked down to see Midori as a cat, dangling Youko in her mouth by her tail. The dark brown mouse fidgeted, trying to break free. Her little hands flailed about, demanding to be put down. The orange cat grinned in a Cheshire cat manner, ignoring the doctor. Seeing that Midori wouldn't comply, the brunette shifted into a rabbit, and scurried across the room. Following her lead, Midori shifted into a bigger cat, a lion to be exact. She licked her lips as she closed in on her.

"Ahem." The prey and the predator looked up at the intrusion. It was Natsuki, who had a light blush on her face. "So Youko, what should we do?" Not willing to change back to original form, for she would be naked and vulnerable to Midori, she changed to a squirrel and crawled up an IV, knowing she was at a safe distance. "Nao, you change into a veterinarian and visit Point Five while A01 is there. Tell her that they found 'Alpha' outside, and that she was attacked by a neighboring dog. Say that you have her in safe care, but she can't be seen for a few days due to surgery. If she asks how you knew that was her dog, tell her you simply guessed since the dog was in her lawn."

The squirrel nodded, pleased with her excuse. "Sounds good." Natsuki agreed, giving Nao a look that said 'You can't refuse.'

"Youko~" Midori whined from the floor, reaching up at the IV, her sharp claws threatening to pop the bag. "Come play with me~"

Natsuki's eyes darted to Mai, who was connected to said IV, making sure she was okay. She then turned back to Youko with pleading eyes. "Just for a little bit. Please."

With a sigh, Youko flew out the room, arms extended like wings, with Midori close behind her. A few seconds later, you could hear purring and squeaks. Nao rolled her eyes, leaving the room. "I'll go find a vet to shift into."

A01 nodded, telling her that she understood. She looked back at Mai once more before looking down at the cell phone in her hands. As she walked towards her room for some clothes she dialed the second number on the address list like she was told.

"Hey uh, its me, Natsuki." After a teasing reply on the other line, she turned bright red. "S-shut up, baka! I'll be at the park… NO I WONT BE NAKED!"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author Notes:

So that's chapter 5 for ya.

Hope you liked it~

Scene from chapter 6:

'_Ara? This little puppy likes Mayo too? How odd.'_


	6. Make Yourself Comfortable

Author Notes:

Sorry for the wait all. I've been busy with things. –awkward laugh- Hopefully later I'll update the others. In case you were wondering, I update by oldest fic to newest fic. So in other words, I'd update Antisaint last.

Anyway, time to clear up some things:

- Youko can shift into woodland creatures, like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and such. (She will appear brown no matter what)

- Midori can shift into any felines. From household cats to tigers and lions. (Her fur will be red/bordering on orange no matter what)

- Mai can change into any type of bird. (Her feathers will always be orange)

- Takumi can shift into any type of sea creature. (His skin will be brown)

- Nao can perfectly shift into anyone that she has seen before. Usually looks at a full-body picture of the person beforehand.

- Mikoto's will be known later. Anyone who can guess what it is correctly will receive a spoiler~ ;D

And of course, Natsuki can shift into any canines. Wolves included.

Now onto the story!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6: Make Yourself Comfortable

Just like she said she would be, Natsuki stood outside, fully dressed; to Shizuru's disappointment. Hands shoved in the pockets of her white hoody, she swayed aimlessly as Shizuru's car pulled up to get her. As the window to the driver's right rolled down, Natsuki revealed one of her creamy white hands as she clamped it down on the glass. Blue tresses found their way inside the car as their owner poked her head into the window, a scowl on her face. "SHI-ZU-RU!" A gruff voice growled, anger clear as day in her voice.

Ruby eyes blinked at the sudden shout of her name. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, a reaction to the girl pronouncing each syllable in her name. _'Ara, no ones done that before.' _"Yes Natsuki?" She asked the younger girl, wondering why she was in trouble.

"Do you know how long I've been out here? It's freezing, you know!" She complained before opening the door. Emerald eyes widened at what blocked her from sitting down. A plastic bag was sitting in the front seat, filled with mayonnaise bottles.

"Sorry, I had to run an errand." Noticing that the girl was no longer paying attention to her, the brunette followed her line of sight towards the mayonnaise. Realizing that it was blocking her from sitting, she quickly picked up the bag and moved it to the passenger seat behind them.

The blunette frowned; she had wanted them to sit in her lap during the car ride. Without a word she took a seat, closed the door, and snapped on her seatbelt. At the sound of the click, Shizuru gently pushed her foot down on the gas pedal, moving them forward.

Peaceful silence flooded the small car until Natsuki felt that she should break it. "So what's with the mayonnaise? Had a craving or something?" Her forehead was against the now closed window as her gaze watched each tree that passed them by.

"Ara, no. They're for my dog. I wanted to get her a welcome home gift for when she recovers." Her tone suggested that she truly meant it, sadness apparent in her voice. Apparently Nao had already paid her visit.

'_F-for me?' _Natsuki's face lit up like the Forth of July, confusing Shizuru. When she turned to question it, the blunette answered before she could speak. "You're a nice owner." She smiled brightly at the brunette, joy practically bouncing off of her.

"I suppose." The hunter spoke, prying her eyes off of the cute sight, to make sure that they weren't going to crash. _'Ara, she's too cute. I feel bad for my true intentions of having her over. Ah, Shizuru… See a cute girl and you just have to take her home, don't you?' _

The rest of the drive was mainly spent in silence, except for the occasional outbursts of how the mayo is the squeezable kind. _'Much like a human Alpha isn't she?' _The brunette asked herself, taking another look at the girl. _'Why do I get a déjà vu sensation whenever I look at her?' _She shook her head free of the ridiculous thought as she parked the car in front of her house.

Natsuki quickly let herself out before opening the passenger door. "I'll get the bag!"

"How nice of you, Natsuki. Perhaps I'll give you a bottle as a reward." Of course she was only kidding. After all, what person would want mayonnaise as a reward? Unfortunately, Natsuki didn't see it as a joke and she beamed at the woman, catching her off guard. Shizuru could almost imagine the dog ears and tail on the blunette, the tail wagging back and forth in excitement.

Natsuki mentally slapped herself at how excited she was getting. _'Stupid, stupid! Don't act like a dog. She'll get suspicious.' _The front door opened and the shapeshifter followed the hunter into the house, closing the door behind her. She made sure to leave the mayo on the kitchen counter before making herself comfortable on the couch. Wanting to appear cool, badass, and antisocial, she placed a scowl on her face while folding her arms across her chest.

She was suddenly interrupted by a pair of smooth arms that wrapped around her shoulders and neck tenderly. "Ara, what is Natsuki doing over here? Doesn't she want to make herself comfortable in the bedroom?" She teased, looking for a specific reaction from the girl.

Natsuki's face soon resembled that of a sake lantern: bright red. "W-what are you talking about?" _'Is she flirting with me? Listen here, Shizuru: I'm your dog, not your humping buddy for the night!' _She mentally growled, denying that the girl did have strange powers over her.

Giggling was heard in her ear, the breathe causing her to shiver. "I was just kidding."

At that, the blunette exhaled the breath she didn't know she kept. "R-right." She nodded before trying to free herself from the serpent's grasp.

Noticing the signs of escape, she tightened her grasp, causing the girl to gasp in surprise. _'My, what a lovely sound. I'd like to hear more of it.' _But seeing that she was invading Natsuki's boundaries, she let her go. After all, if she was going to get the girl, she had to make sure it wasn't forced.

"I'm going to shower. Help yourself to some mayonnaise. But do save some." She winked at the pair of green eyes staring at her curiously before walking off to the restroom.

'_W-what was that?' _The shifter sighed, running a hand through her hair nervously before tossing it over her shoulder. _'Like she said, she was just kidding. It's nothing to look into.' _She nodded in agreement with her thoughts before sneaking over to the counter for a bottle of mayonnaise. _'Might as well enjoy myself while I wait.'_

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v

Stepping out of the steam filled room, sported in a dark purple towel; she was greeted by the sound of squirting. The sound was completely unfamiliar to the woman, so as a reaction, she looked around the open space, wondering what could make such a sound. Her eyes eventually landed on a figure sitting on the sofa, staring up at the flat screen television that hung from the wall. One arm was held above her head, a squeezable bottle of mayonnaise in her hand. The sound, she soon discovered, came from squeezing the bottle. The creamy substance fell from the slit in the bottle and landed in her guest's open mouth.

Shizuru's hand tightened on the towel as her face became flushed. One leg rubbed against the others in an attempt to get her mind from the gutter. Her free hand was against her red cheek as she watched the sight, unable to see the innocence in the act. _'Oh my. …Oh my.' _Blood red eyes continued watching the scene before her, her body shivering each time Natsuki squeezed the bottle.

Remembering that she was a refined, well-raised young woman, she shook her head, clearing the thoughts for good. Without a sideways glance, she shuffled off to her bedroom.

Hearing a door close behind her, Natsuki looked back, wondering when Shizuru had finished her shower. She shrugged her shoulders as she directed herself back to the television, watching a show on the world's dumbest criminals.

Shizuru soon joined her, now dressed in a lavender sleeping kimono. Hearing shuffling next to her Natsuki turned to see the hunter smiling at her. Unable to help herself, she took a good look at the kimono, noticing how it tightly supported her curves. She quickly coughed and looked away, not wanting to get caught openly staring.

But Shizuru had noticed. And she was quite flattered to say the least. That of course, only persuaded her to move closer to blunette. But her guest was incredibly dense, and hadn't noticed the advancement.

"Na-tsu-ki~" Shizuru whispered seductively, a finger trailing down the girl's thigh, getting dangerously close to a private area.

Sensations traveled up and down her thigh, following the brunette's movements. A01 jumped at the feeling, not liking or understanding it one bit. "Y-yes, Shizuru?"

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

She exhaled once more. _'I thought she was going to say something else.' _

The hunter had to admit that the look of relief on Natsuki had hurt a little. She didn't know why, but it did.

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

By the time the ending credits rolled by, Natsuki was sound asleep. Shizuru sighed before carrying the girl off to one of her guest rooms, a frown firmly on her face. _'That ruined my plans.' _

After the blue haired hippie was tucked into bed, the brunette took the time to look at her. Her hand gracefully went through her silky hair, playing with each thread. A smile found its way on her face after breaking through her mask.

Soon crimson eyes widened at the noises Natsuki made in her sleep. They ranged from "Nnhs…" to "Ughs…". Quite frankly, Shizuru enjoyed the sounds that sounded more like moans.

'_This girl is different.' _The snake lover concluded, staring more intently at the sleeping blunette. _'For some reason, I don't want to have a one nighter with her. There's something more I crave… But I do not have time for relationships. My loyalty is to Numeral, as it will always be. They come first, then my personal life. Forgive me, Natsuki, for I do not have time for you.' _

The smell of sakura blossoms left the room as she retreated to her own, her mind still in deep thought. A king sized bed creaked as she landed on it. Not needing the covers tonight, she just let herself drift to sleep.

^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^

Emerald eyes opened to find herself in a foreign environment. She could have sworn that she was watching a movie with Shizuru just a few minutes ago. The sunlight blaring into the room, contradicted her as she remembered that it was nighttime when they were together.

The toned figure quickly sat up, as she questioned if she had fallen asleep during the movie. Feet found there way to the carpeted floor as she made her way out of the bed. It creaked with relief once her weight was off if it.

Cautiously, she crept out of the room. She remembered that she was in enemy territory, and for all she knew, Shizuru could know who she was or what her motives are. She had to be on the lookout for a surprise attack. A01 lifted her head towards the ceiling, taking a whiff of the air, looking for the scent she knew was Shizuru.

The trail of fragrance led her to a large master bedroom. There, sprawled out on the bed was her owner. Her kimono hung down her shoulder, showing that she was tossing and turning in her sleep. She looked at the woman with concern, noticing that she was damp with sweat.

Honey locks stuck to her neck and forehead as her cheeks flared a red color, suggesting that perhaps she had a fever. _'Oh no, don't be sick. I don't want to take care of you!' _She mentally hissed at the hunter. Of course she hadn't meant it in a bad way; she was just too lazy to look after another human being.

"Numeral…"

The word slipped her mouth effortlessly, and if the room wasn't as deathly silent as it was, Natsuki probably wouldn't have heard it. The shifter involuntarily flinched at the sound of her enemy. Fear hit her once more as she remembered that the sleeping figure was her enemy. And she was sent to kill her enemy.

She approached carefully, not wanting to awaken the hunter from her slumber. The closer she got, the more her fingers twitched with anticipation and eagerness. This was her moment. _'I'm ready. I know I can do it.'_

Her hands gently found there way to her exposed neck. They wove themselves around the tender flesh easily, not seeing any sign of struggle.

'_If we had met in another time, as different people, we could have been friends. We should have been friends. I'm sorry but this is my duty, just as how yours is to exterminate. …Goodbye Shizuru.'_

Just as she was about to apply pressure, red eyes shot open to meet pain filled green ones.

"What are you doing, might I ask?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author Notes:

Thanks for reading!

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but things are about to get good. I can assure you of that.

Omake:

Natsuki: -continues pouring mayonnaise into her mouth-

Shizuru: A-ara…

Natsuki: -turns to look at- Oh, hey Shizuru. How long have you been there?

Shizuru: -stares at-

Natsuki: Shizuru?

Shizuru: -notices mayonnaise dripping out of the corner of her mouth-

Natsuki: Oi! Shizuru, are you listening?

Shizuru: -has a sudden nosebleed and quickly shuffles away- Ara, ikezu Natsuki!

Natsuki: What did I do!?


	7. And As One Thing Leads to Another

Authors Notes:

Well well, apparently this one won the vote. Can't blame ya'll though; it's been a while since it's been updated. (I've been really LAZY, yes that's my excuse)

I've recently decided that this story will be a long one, since there are a lot of things to touch on in it. So look forward to a hecka lotta chapters! ;D

I also want to apologize if it seems that I've been neglecting this story. I can easily say that it's my favorite out of all of mine, and want to make sure that it's perfect (or at least in my standards). So I've reread it a few times to refresh. Hopefully this chapter will satisfy everyone.

Do remember to ask questions, though! I want to improve on my work and make sure my readers know what they're reading.

FFFFF I only own Uotani and Numeral

Thanks!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"What are you doing, might I ask?"

The Kyoto-ben seemed to ring in her ears for a few seconds before the actuality of her situation dawned on her.

Once again, she had failed to kill Point Five. At this point, the possibility of her having no skill in assassinations was highly likely.

The nervous, and now caught Natsuki, stared helplessly down into Shizuru's eyes, which were getting more suspicious by the second.

What could she possibly say?

She wouldn't dare admit her true reasons for being there, not ever.

But she had to do something, and fast. Shizuru was getting impatient and would strike at any second.

Natsuki acted on what immediately popped into her mind, hesitation leaving her for the moment.

Affection dominating over logic, she swooped down and took Shizuru's lips; brushing them against her own in a brief encounter. Red eyes fluttered closed as a current of raw emotion surged through them. A01 backed off immediately, fearing that Point Five had somehow activated her chip.

'_Ara…That was…unexpected.'_

What could only be described as an awkward silence made itself known as the flustered of the two looked away. The well-trained hunter kept her gaze on Natsuki as she tried her best to overcome her feelings.

"…What exactly were you trying to do?" The eldest finally asked, her voice far more labored than she thought. Perhaps she enjoyed the kiss more than she knew.

The Autolykos turned to face the confused yet professional looking brunette, surprising her with her full-blown blush.

"That was my first kiss." She mumbled to herself, placing two fingers against her warm, still tingling lips.

Shizuru felt her face heat up ever so slightly, secretly happy that she was the one to steal it before anyone else could. _'Calm yourself, Shizuru. Do not let your emotions win. If…If I end up making her mine, then she will be involved in all of this mess. That, I cannot afford to risk.' _

Her gaze ended up back at the flustered teenager, watching her bicker with herself. _'But she is just too cute… I don't know how much longer I can last… Would it be too wrong to enjoy myself, if only a little? Just this once?'_

Confliction made itself known on her face, forcing itself through her mask. There were so many rights and so many wrongs to this situation. Do the pros outweigh the cons, or is it the other way around? What if Natsuki gets hurt because of her? And what if the kiss meant nothing to her? Was she the only one thinking these things?

Despite the turmoil, somewhere in her mind rebelled, as it showed her some fantasy-like images of what could be:

"_Ara, my Natsuki, I'm back home." She smiled warmly before wrapping her arms loosely around Natsuki's neck and shoulders, eliciting a squeal of surprise. Rubbing her cheek against her lover's now red one, she whispered in her ear._

"_Did you miss me?"_

_Grumbling, her little wolf pup answered her. "Well of course I did! Where have you been all day?"_

"_Work of course."_

_Turning around to face her, the blunette buried her face in the crook of her loved one's neck, sighing loudly. This action made a faint blush creep up Shizuru's face as she hugged Natsuki once more._

"_I'm sorry Natsuki, did I worry you?"_

_The shifting against her neck was Natsuki nodding as she answered her. "Yeah but I'm sure you can make it up to me tonight."_

Point Five turned away to stare at the now far more interesting wall. She knew for certain that her facial expression would betray her thoughts.

"Shi-Shizuru?" Natsuki was concerned now, wondering if she had gone a little too far. _'Why the hell did I do that? I mean sure, it was a great distraction, but now things seem even worse! Ugh, I don't even know what happened. One minute I was trying to find out what to do, the next I was…we were…'_

"A-ara, yes Natsuki?" The graceful brunette stuttered, silently telling herself to remain calm.

'_Did she just stutter?'_

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's quite alright. I was just surprised is all."

But in all of the commotion she had indeed momentarily forgotten that Natsuki was practically choking her.

Ah, the passions of youth…

But the greater question was 'What now?' or 'What does that mean about us?'

"Would Natsuki like to hear a story? I do warn you though, even though it sounds nice in the beginning, it ends quite sadly."

'_Huh? A story? What am I, 5? But I guess anything to kill this silence…'_

"…Sure."

"Alright, well… Once upon a time," She started, as she directed her gaze at the white ceiling. She recalled the way her adopted father would tell her as she spoke. "There was a woman who wielded unimaginable power. She could turn into anything she wanted, just at the mere thought of it."

Natsuki quickly held her breath as she internally battled to appear calm.

"People called her Fumi. But of course, that kind if power was wanted by those who desired control. The organization who wanted her for themselves was called Numeral. They sent their greatest member, Mashiro, after her. She was very elusive and provided quite the challenge for the elite hunter. But soon after her first mission against the pink-haired shifter, she began to fall in love. The prey soon felt the same, and so began something unspeakable. Such a relationship was considered forbidden for both of their kind. Deciding that they would protect each other from harm, they remained in love. But Numeral was starting to get suspicious because Mashiro would continuously fail all missions that revolved around Fumi and would show up horribly late for work on such occasions. Nagi, the President of Numeral's son, was sent to spy on her and what he saw hurt him deeply. For you see, he held unrequited feelings for Mashiro and did not take rejection well. He reported his findings to his father and personally captured the two. Numeral installed their newest creation, a remote control chip in Fumi. It worked perfectly… They forced her to kill Mashiro. Soon after her lover's death, they say she lost her sanity. She became a broken toy, her mind unresponsive to the chip due to the mental breakdown. They eventually killed her for her uselessness...I suppose that's the end."

Even though the story is only 10 years old, it is considered a legend, even for Autolykos. So of course, Natsuki was already all too familiar with the story. But she had been told differently. She was told that Mashiro betrayed Fumi and killed her under Numeral's orders and that she had never held any feelings for her, that it was all a trap. Naturally, when she heard Shizuru's side of the story, she was confused about which one was the truth.

The similarity in both stories is that the two of them die in the end, much like Romeo and Juliet. But much like the Shakespearean play, Shizuru's story is of love, while Natsuki's is of betrayal.

More importantly, why would the hunter decide to tell such a story? Why now of all times?

"Ara, Natsuki is far more interested in the story than I thought she would be. You make a cute face when you're thinking about something."

Turning to the brunette, she was met with a wink and a mischevious expression. That, and her previous statement, caused a rosy tint to her cheeks.

"I just feel like I've heard it before… Why'd you tell it anyway?"

"It felt strangely relevant." Came her reply.

Now why would she think that? Was she on to Natsuki's secret? But how could that be, she hadn't done anything to give off such an impression.

"What the hell are you talking about? That's got nothin' to do with us." _'Play it cool.' _

"I suppose so." _'She's not acting like herself. It's quite obvious that she doesn't wish me to know, so I won't press any further.' _

"Hey, can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

By now, Shizuru was already out of the bed and strolling over to her closet while Natsuki lay comfortably against the sheets. Eagle-spread, she snuggled her back against the purple blankets as Shizuru's scent wafted across her. How someone can smell like tea without having any on their person, Natsuki would never know. But it added to her many charms.

"Yesterday in the forest, what were you doing?" It was a question she already knew the answer to, but she wanted to hear it from her.

She would never admit it a loud, but what Natsuki wanted to know more about Shizuru. Something about her demanded to be explored. Being the ever curious one, Natsuki wanted to be the one to discover whatever was hiding within her. She didn't think too much on the reasons why though.

"My job." She spoke through the closed door as she dressed herself for the new day. Work-attire of course. You never know when you will be called into action.

"Yeah, you told me that last time. What is your job?" Hands behind her head, she peered up at the ceiling. _'She should really paint the walls… It looks so dull.' _

"I'm sorry Natsuki, but that's classified information." Smoothing out the wrinkles of her pants, she entered the room once more, now fully clothed in her leathers of choice.

"That's not fair." She pouted, eyebrows furrowing at the action.

"Mmm, a lot of things aren't. If Natsuki continues to make that face, it'll stay like that forever." She teased before exiting, beckoning the girl to follow her.

With a huff, the shifter rolled out of bed and shuffled out the door, hot on Shizuru's trail.

"Am I allowed to ask questions as well?" The hunter asked with a tilt of her head as she fastened an apron around her body.

"Sure, why not." Making herself comfortable on the stool in front of the kitchen counter, she silently inspected her owner, wondering what she planned on making for breakfast.

"For starters, what would Natsuki like to eat?"

"Er…eggs. And Mayo. If that's…not too much." Crossing her arms, she looked away, hoping that she wasn't being a burden.

"Of course not. How would you like them?"

There was a long pause as Natsuki mentally went through all of the ways eggs could be prepared before deciding on one.

"Scrambled." Though the way she spoke sounded unsure.

Just as Shizuru was about to crack one of the eggs against the railing of the counter, the house phone rang. Which was a first, since people usually called her on one of her many cell phones. The more phones she has, the better. She cannot allow people to discover the existence of Numeral. And if people were to find out that she hunts down, and sometimes kills, people she would probably sent to jail or worse. So in her case, secrecy was the key.

She stared at it for a few seconds, waiting for another ring to tell her that she wasn't imagining it's first. When the monotonous and universal tone sounded once more, she scrambled over to it, somehow making the rushed movement seem graceful in Natsuki's eyes.

Picking up the phone, she answered with a smile plastered on her face, the shifter noticing the fake gesture.

"Fujino Residence."

'_Fujino? Oh yeah, that's right. I hadn't learned her last name. Shizuru Fujino, huh? Has a nice ring to it, I guess.' _Natsuki mused as she watched the girl from her stool, gently spinning it left and right.

A smile danced upon Shizuru's lips as she recognized the voice.

"Ara, now here's a voice I haven't heard in a while."

She paused for a brief minute while the other spoke, pulling the phone away from her ear from the harsh noise that erupted from it. Natsuki could make out some of the words like "little Shizuru", "ahw shit," "look out", and "fire".

Both red and green eyes widened at the words and Shizuru cautiously replied into the phone. "Uotani, are you alright?" Her face relaxed a bit as the answer was a positive one. The relief was soon replaced with a stony look of serious business. She nodded a few times and replied with a few muttered 'yes's.

"I understand, I will see you shortly." She gave a sad smile to the wall before speaking once more. "You too."

She hung up with a click and looked back at Natsuki, that look of hers still on her person.

"I'm sorry, Natsuki but I-"

"I understand, it's cool." Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly to help prove her point. "I needed to get going soon anyway."

"Are you sure?" Light brown eyebrows pulled down towards red pools with concern.

"Positive, Shizuru." She smiled at her to ensure the brunette that all was indeed well. Besides, she had to return there as Alpha soon.

"Do you need a lift somewhere?" The hunter asked as she gathered a few of her belongings and dumped them into a matching leather purse.

"Ah…no. I'll just walk back to the forest." The blunette muttered before running a hand through her blue locks and tossing some over her shoulder. Scooting herself out of the spinning chair, she dusted off her pants, as a sign of her upcoming departure.

"I see. Well Natsuki, please know that you're welcome to visit whenever you'd like. You do have my number after all." She winked playfully before twirling her car keys in her hand, an unspoken signal saying that she was in somewhat of a rush.

Taking the hint, Natsuki made her way to the front door awkwardly before pulling a cell phone from her pants pocket. "And one of your phones." She grinned sheepishly at the brunette with a slight blush on her face before facing the door.

"See you around."

"I'm sure I will." She spoke with a seductive and suggestive undertone before the blunette left. Once the door closed behind the guest, she turned towards the hallway and briskly walked down it, heeled boots clicking along the tiles before resting on tan carpeting. Turning the silver doorknob, she opened the last door which led her to the garage; where her car was currently residing. The red convertible lay comfortably in the dark before the garage door opened with an unsettling sound. The ever clicking sound made itself known again as Shizuru walked across concrete to the front door.

Once inside the vehicle, she pulled out and sped down the road, only to see the blunette quite a ways ahead of her. She had covered a lot of distance in such short time. Perhaps she ran. With a wave, the two bid themselves another adew, and went their separate ways once more. Shizuru was headed towards a private school building that Numeral used to train future members. She of course, had attended it at one point in her life.

After a brief conversation with a guard at the front gate, she pulled up to the employee parking, positive that no one would mind.

Clad in her days leathers, she entered the building, only to be greeted by her fans. She was Numeral's top hunter, after all. That and she was Student Council President in her youth. Somehow, she still had just as many fans, if not more. Heading to the science hall, she looked for room 401. Though it was a mechanics class of sorts, they thought it would be best to place it in the science hall. It was a mistake.

Above the door read the teacher's name: Uotani-Sensei. Which was odd, since that was a first name, and not a last name. Peering through the glass on the door, she was welcomed with reds, oranges, and yellows. There was indeed a fire.

With a creek, the door opened, heat wrapping around her form. Sweat began to greet her forehead as she made her way into the smoking room, not in the least scared or off balance. There, standing behind the teacher's desk, was the one who called.

She was tall in her knee high elevator boots and stood staring down at a device in her hand as she dug at it with a screwdriver. Orange sunglasses hid the inhuman pink eyes of hers as she ignored the flames and the shouting of her students. Dark purple, almost black locks hung in a tight yet messy ponytail that led down to her lower back. She wore a tight black tank top that revealed a teasing amount of cleavage and brown baggy shorts that threatened to slip under a white professor's coat.

"Ara, Uotani is aware that her students are burning alive, correct?" The accented voice broke the woman out of her work-related adrenaline rush. She peered up at the brunette before smiling widely at her.

"Shizuru! What are you doing here? And didn't I tell you to call me Uo?"

The hunter in question frowned before looking at her sadly. "I believe that you are the one who called me over. Still suffering from the memory loss I see." Once the words slipped her mouth, she immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, poor choice of words."

"Mm, it's fine." Her voice was a lot softer now as she briefly recalled something she wished she didn't experience.

"Uo…The fire?"

"What about it?"

"Are you not going to do something about it?" She questioned with a tilt of her head.

"As long as the flames don't reach me, it's all good." The purple haired teacher mumbled before bringing the remote to eye level. On it was a large screen with lime green lines forming the lines you would see on a graph with a black background. White letters spelled out 'SEARCHING' before a red dot appeared on the screen. At the bottom of it, it told the latitude and longitude of said dot. Uo grinned widely at it before tossing it over to Shizuru, who caught it on reflex.

"What might this be?" The brunette asked with a cock of her head while feeling the cool metallic surface of the piece of technology. Knowing the genius inventor and mechanic all too well, she figured it was something complicated and pointless.

With an 'ahem' and a clearing of her throat, Uo proceeded to explain the purpose for the blinking device in her old friend's hands. "That is a tracker that is compatible with every chipped Autolykos we have ever captured." She smiled, her face filled with the self-love that she was evidently feeling. "It shows you all shifters in the area." A frown suddenly found its way to her lips as she directed her vision to the tiled floor. "But it may have a few bugs; I did just build it after all…"

Shizuru shot a true smile at her friend as she gripped the remote with more confidence. "You are as smart as always, Uo."

The teacher winked up at Shizuru before playfully stating: "And you're as beautiful as ever."

The hunter took the compliment with no worries, for she knew more than anyone that Uo never felt that way about her. Hell, she was still mourning over a past break-up. That reminds her…

"Kanin na, I know that it's a touchy subject, but are you doing this to avoid missions? Teaching, I mean." Her scholarly friend had only recently become a teacher, and despite how badly Shizuru wished to confront her about it, she was only able to give her congratulations and nothing more. But that was then and this was now.

A tanned hand reached up and removed the round sun colored glasses from the bridge of their owner's nose as she placed them atop her head instead. The playful glint in those dull pink eyes vanished at the brunette's question. Uo opened a file cabinet to her left, and removed a fire extinguisher to douse the flames that was currently scorching both her new classroom and her students. With a quick motion, the white foam was spread across the fire quickly, cooling the steaming desks and children. She then tossed the now useless red sprayer against the wall and looked back at Shizuru who was silently watching her actions.

With a pained expression on her usually carefree features, she replied to Shizuru's earlier question. "Yeah, yeah it is."

"But doesn't it bother you when Numeral sends people out to capture her?"

"Of course it does! But she's already forgotten about me, I should do the same."

Shizuru briefly recalled an experience between the former hunter and a shifter, for she was there to comfort her.

"_St-stop joking around, Nao. This isn't funny." At that point, she had given up and rubbing her tear streaks away. Her voice continued to break as her courage followed it._

"_I'm not kidding. Who the hell are you?" Grassy green eyes narrowed down at the pathetic broken woman as she crossed her arms. _

"_P-please, please don't do this to me, please. Of all things, this I can't take. Please take it back Nao. Don't do this." _

_Shizuru cautiously wrapped her arms around Uo and tried to pull the now flailing hunter away._

"_Don't you do this! Nao! Nao!" _

_The redhead swiftly turned around and began walking away while flipping her phone out, completely ignoring her protests._

_Uo slumped to the floor as more tears gently fell from her hurt pink eyes. _

"I've got the information on today's hunt." The topic was quickly dropped and replaced with another. "Autolykos spotted fifteen minutes ago, in a restaurant. He should still be there, and the job will be easy with the Universal Tracker." She tapped the antenna sticking from it with the stub of her chewed nail. "Human shifter." Her voice went down an octave as she contemplated assisting Shizuru or not.

"I suppose I should get going then. Can we catch up sometime? It has been a while."

"Let's go drinkin' tuhnight." She winked playfully at her once more. At times like these, Uo reminded Shizuru that she was a foreigner. Hailing from the south of the United States, her Japanese is pretty much flawless, except for the southern accent that tends to slip in.

"If I have time." Shizuru teased as she gripped the doorknob.

"Smooth sailin', Fujino, smooth sailin'." The sentence Shizuru heard day after day in high school and college rung in her ears as she saw the familiar half-assed salute of her friend.

Smiling in return, the number one hunter left the room and headed for the exit. Out of all of her so called "friends", Uotani was the closest to her. They had shared a lot of experiences, and both grew stronger from them.

Taking another look at the 'Universal Tracker', as Uo called it; she ran her thumb across the smooth screen. There were no Autolykos in the area. That's how it should be.

But it wasn't like Shizuru would up and attack any Autolykos that happened to be in the area. She had a strict policy of only attacking who she was specifically assigned to, and that's it. As she entered the car, a thought hit her: Uo hadn't told her the location.

Instead of walking all the way back there; even though it wasn't a long walk, she called her instead. After a longer conversation then planned, she finally got the destination and headed off.

As the streetlight turned red, she stared down at the pile of cell phones in the passenger seat. One flashed white and then red simultaneously. Apparently she had received a text message.

'_Odd…I never text anyone.' _

Pressing her finger against the touch screen, Natsuki's name appeared in the black background.

'_Hey uh, have a good day. 4got 2 say so earlier. So yea...' _was her message.

Smiling sweetly down at the phone, she laid it in her lap before taking a glance back up at the light. Still red.

Sliding out a keyboard she began to type:

'_My my, Natsuki sure is being nice this morning ;D'_

On instinct, she quickly looked up as the light turned green. Tossing the phone back into the pile, she pressed her foot gently against the gas pedal.

Linden Baum was her destination. As one customer left for the bathroom, the shifter changed into said person, stole the credit card they planned to use to pay with, and shifted back before anyone knew.

But unfortunately for the shifter, there was an undercover Numeral member there.

With a short sigh, Shizuru pulled up to the parking lot.

Dusting off her pants, she cooly left the car and entered the air conditioned eatery. Seated in a booth in the far back, she ordered herself a cup of tea and removed the tracker from her pocket.

A red dot angrily flashed at her.

Game time.

____________________________________________________________________________

Authors Notes:

Ugh, this took a while to write. Didn't get as far as I wanted, but I'll make the next chapter longer.

Thanks for waiting and reading, I'll be making a new poll so please participate in it!

Thanks again!


	8. It Is Her Duty

Authors Notes:

I truly felt that I had lost my spark; my connection to writing itself. D;

I contemplated giving it up…

And yet, here this is.

It was a frightening ordeal and I have overcome it.

Sorry for keeping you waiting, it's been a rough battle.

XD I even sang "CAN YOU FEEL IT?!" when I felt the writing inspiration.

Warning: Animal violence and murder. Goes into pretty good detail, if I do say so myself.

OH, there is a poll on my profile, please vote.

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Chapter 8: It Is Her Duty

According to the Universal Tracker given to her by her bumbling American comrade, a human shifter by the codename of Y67 was inside the restaurant Linden Baum; in which she currently resided.

Human shifters were always the most difficult to hunt, so Shizuru knew this one would take a while. Sipping at the earl grey tea she had ordered, she quietly scanned the area in search of suspicious actions that could precisely point out the Autolykos.

She trusted Uotani with a lot of things, but the woman herself had told her that the device had some bugs, so she couldn't help but be skeptical of its accuracy.

'_Reminds me of my training.' _

**Flashback**

"Homura-san, if you'd please."

The instructor, a man clad in a dark grey suit with a clipboard in hand, spoke as he looked over at her. His eyes were weak and dull with age, his black hair well kept, and he gave off the aura of one who knew how society worked and thus did as told.

The given name made her frown and a nagging feeling in the back of her head told her to correct him, for she much preferred to be called by the name she was found with.

"Do call me Fujino Shizuru." She told him politely as she rose from her desk. The teenager was well aware that her adopted father and brother shared the name Homura, and therefore she had to as well, but she wanted to stay a Fujino, for she wanted something to herself, something that was hers and hers alone.

Strolling forward in her one piece military uniform, she made a right turn, exiting the room. Once outside, she took a left, and entered the room next to the classroom. The teacher and fellow students could see her from behind a glass wall. The room she stood in was decorated like a forest, dense with foliage and minor wildlife such as birds and insects. The air was thick with morning fog, and nature stood prominent, despite it being locked inside of a facility.

Her mission was to locate and terminate an actual Autolykos as an example for the rest of the class. Gun nestled against her hip and dagger in her boot, she moved ahead slowly, creeping about in search of her prey.

She was not told of what kind of shifter the target was, but in such a scenario, she didn't need to know. Shizuru was taught to search for unease and other suspicious actions that would reveal a shape shifter.

Paranoia was not an option; therefore she did not flinch and madly search the room at every sound that was not made by her. No, one must relax their mind; let nothing penetrate their state of being. The brunette took this moment to cease her actions and simply stand there unwavering amongst the mud and leaves. She breathed in, and she breathed out. The shivering of anticipation had quieted, leaving her more confident about her abilities.

The manufactured wind came and went, leaving behind nothing but a few tousled strands of nougat hair and an itching feeling upon her nose, just begging for a sneeze. Alas, she stood poised and ready for battle, yet as calm as one would when pausing to admire the scenery.

She was at peace, until the sound of breathing that was not her own became apparent. Birds don't breathe that loud, neither do reptiles nor insects.

A mammal was in the room.

Lips parted.

A flat pink tongue ran itself across an elongated canine.

A thick paw came down on a fallen leaf.

And yet, Shizuru did not move.

Aggravated that the hunter in training was not reacting to its presence, the creature slunk forward, determined to get a rise out of the fragile looking girl.

Once the prey was close enough, she swiftly reached down, revealed the blade and lunge into the mass of raven fur. The wild panther made a gurgling sound, a mixture of surprise and agony as the knife dug past its flesh and into its innards.

Teeth gnashed together, Shizuru looked into its eyes, and for a brief moment, there was a human glow to them.

It sickened her.

She recoiled from the writhing monster, quickly relinquishing her grasp on the weapon.

The feline slumped to the earth, its body taking on a fetal position as its tail twitched ever so softly. It was in utter pain, and the brunette stood paralyzed as she gazed upon it.

To help the creature was out of the question, for she was being watched and graded.

Her calculating mind had however come up with another solution.

End it quickly.

Closing in on the animal caused it to flinch, yet she ignored it. The dagger was still very much lodged in its upper belly, to the point where the hilt was hardly visible. No longer needing to question herself further on having the guts to do so, she painfully ripped the object from its body and brought the maroon stained knife up to its neck.

Whispering a small prayer, she slit open its throat, and turned away from it.

She knew that the last thing the rebel wanted to see was her.

She respected that.

"Excellent job as usual, Miss Fujino!" An intercom announced as her crimson eyes stared dejected at the spot of blood her fingers had dripped to the floor.

"Yes…"

**End of flashback **

'_Perhaps not.'_

Now either this young man that continued to constantly go to the bathroom, then leave it in a moment's notice either had trouble keeping his bladder in check or…

Red eyes moved into slits as she clearly saw her waitress come out of the men's bathroom. Her orbs were trained on her as she walked past before flickering over to the restroom to see if the midnight haired boy would emerge.

'_I will give you three minutes.' _

Now usually there would not be a commotion over something as little as that. People in this day and age are of the promiscuous variety; therefore a waitress leaving the men's bathroom was not necessarily a rare occurrence. Nonetheless, such small actions needed to be considered and delved into in Shizuru's line of work.

This shifter's mistake was made, however, when he shifted midway through the door to the facilities. He was certainly new at scheming and quite the careless one.

Without another thought, she rose from the booth and calmly walked over to the ladies room.

Pushing the door open, she was met with a short haired brunette waitress who was nervously washing "her" hands. The way they moved against each other was clumsy, therefore stating how anxious the person was.

Approaching the "girl", Shizuru removed a pistol from its holster and pressed the barrel softly against "her" back.

"We're going to leave this restaurant and go into the alley. Understood?"

The girl paled and her eyes widened in fear as she nodded mechanically.

"I will follow you out. Try to escape and you will only get into more trouble."

Although hesitant, the shifter slowly crept out of the bathroom with the hunter on his/her tail. While their facial expression clearly gave off their anxiety, Shizuru smiled, and even attempted to converse with her as they walked across the long isle leading to the exit.

"It really is lovely to see you again."

When the shifter did not reply, she pressed the tip of the gun against the small of their spine inconspicuously and brought her lips to their ear.

"Play along, yes?"

"Oh I agree! Here, I'll walk you to your car!"

They giggled and spoke of fake pasts as they walked out the door, practically hand in hand. Once a safe distance and away from seeing eyes, the Autolykos returned to his original form. His hair was spiked and almost a dark green. Along his cheek was a scar, most likely related to Numeral. He had a serious look upon his face as he glared at her, trying to drill a hate circle into her forehead.

"Shall we go to headquarters?" Shizuru asked with a smile as she backed off, if only by a little.

"You bitch. How dare you act so calmly when I could get killed there!"

Now perhaps if the lad hadn't addressed her in such a manner, she would have felt perhaps a speck of sympathy. There were some insults Shizuru could take without it ruffling her feathers so to speak, and this was not one of them. Much like how a mother would tap their child on the lips or make them hold soap in their mouth for saying a naughty word, the brunette elbowed him in the mouth.

**Flashback**

"I can beat you, easy!"

"Ara, I'd love to see you try, Haruka-chin."

"Urrrgghh!" The eight year old blonde charged at Shizuru, only to be forcibly stopped by the point of her elbow directly in her mouth. Not letting that defeat her, she took hold of her opponent's arm, and with enough pressure against her raised knee, broke it.

"Now now, ladies." A small raven haired boy smiled serenely as he pried them away from each other.

"…my mouth hurts…" Two sets of eyes darted to Haruka, who was bleeding down her chin. She swished her mouth and after a crunch, spit out her front two teeth.

**End of Flashback**

Trying to keep in his scream and prevent choking on his blood, he bit down on his lower lip quite sharply.

"I suggest you surrender, lest you get hurt any further." She informed with her usual cheery smile, not in the least affected by his injury, that which she gladly caused.

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Authors Notes:

It's short, but in all honesty, I just wanted to post something. XD;


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